You get to the office and realize your workplace has become a battle zone. Having a young hotshot gunning for your job or trying to curry favor with the boss can put the rat in rat race. When workplace politics start getting nasty, try a little “office aikido.”

Aikido is a martial art in which you use the force of your opponent’s attack against him. If someone’s challenging you for your job, remember that you have more information than he does. Instead of being defensive or aggressive (“Your memo on the Richardson deal is completely shortsighted”), try slyly asking: “Have you considered the implications of your Richardson forecast on the new Kimpton deal?” (about which you know everything and that little upstart knowsnothing). Without confrontation, you’ve put the guy in his place.